A Morongo Valley man was arrested Thursday following a fire at a property that firefighters described as a “junkyard.” About 11:45 a.m., firefighters from Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, Calfire and Yucca Mesa were called to the blaze at the corner of Fobes Road and Via Hacienda. County Fire Battalion Chief Donnie Viloria said the property was covered with shacks, shanties, old cars, and “years and years of pack-ratting and storage.” Because there were no fire hydrants nearby, firefighters used the water in their engines to knock down the fire, which was burning old cars, trailers, and a lot of old wood. Viloria said that in the 30 minutes it took for the engines to refill their water tanks at hydrants along the highway, and while they were waiting for a fire tender from Yucca Mesa to arrive, the winds stoked the fire back up. The fire was pretty much out by 1:30 p.m., although some firefighters remained on the scene until about 5 p.m. Deputies arrested Jonathan Thompson, 62, in the 9600 block of Fobes Road about 6:30 p.m. for investigation of arson. Jonathan Thompson was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail with his bail set at $25,000.
